Kerala State Syllabus 9th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 2 On Killing A Tree (Poem)
Let’s revisit and enjoy the poem
On Killing A Tree Activities Kerala Syllabus 9th Question 1.
What can you infer from the words ‘bleeding bark’?
Answer:
The bleeding bark is the place from where the tree is cut off. The sap of the tree will be oozing out from the wounded bark like blood comes from a wound in our body.
On Killing A Tree Hsslive Kerala Syllabus 9th Question 2.
What will happen if the boughs are unchecked?
Answer:
If the boughs are unchecked, they will grow to their former size again.
9th Class English Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
What was done to the roots at last?
Answer:
The roots were roped, tied and pulled out entirely from the anchoring earth.
Kerala Syllabus 9th Standard English Notes Question 4.
How does the poet describe the life-source of the tree?
Answer:
The life-source, which is the most sensitive part of the tree, is white and wet. It is hidden inside the earth for years.
9th English Notes Kerala Syllabus Activity -1
a) What do you understand from the title “On Killing a Tree”? Is it to kill a tree? Justify the title in your own words.
Answer:
The title is an excellent one because it speaks of the complete destruction of the tree. It is not merely cutting it down, but ensuring that it does not re-grow.
b) The poet presents the tree as a human being that has all the emotions such as pleasure and pain.
e.g. And out of its leprous hide.
It is an example of personification.
Pick out another example of personification from the poem.
Answer:
“Feeding upon its crust, absorbing, years of sunlight, air, water.”
c) The bleeding bark will heal. (The words ‘bleeding’ and ‘bark’ begin with the same sound.)
It is an example of Alliteration. Find out similar lines from the poem.
Answer:
white and wet; it is
d) ‘And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs’. See how beautifully the poet visualizes the image of curled green twigs. List out other ‘visual images’ from the poem.
Answer:
It has grown Slowly consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding Upon its crust, absorbing Years of sunlight, air, and water. The root… is to be roped, tied and pulled out. Then the matter of scorching and choking in sun and air, browning and hardening, twisting and withering.
e) Do the expressions ‘bleeding bark’ and ‘rise curled green twigs’ have the same meaning in the poem? Discuss how they contrast with each other.
Answer:
The expressions ‘bleeding bark’ and ‘rise curled green twigs’ don’t have the same meaning. The expression ‘bleeding bark’ shows destruction, but ‘rise curled green twigs’ expresses growth. The first one shows pain and the second one shows pleasure. So they are contrasting expressions.
On Killing A Tree Question Answers Kerala Syllabus 9th Activity – 2
The tree withstands even the hardest blow and gash. Fill the columns given below.
Answer:
Words/actions which are associated with the growth and the survival of the tree:
consume, rise, feed, absorb, sprouting, expand
Words/actions which are associated with the killing of a tree:
kill, jab, hack, chop, pulled out, roped, tied, snapped out, exposed, scorching, choking, browning, hardening, Twisting, withering.